Over the years, Jiang Shu honed his approach, constantly adjusting his way of handling things.
He had thought his decades of experience in the old media era were enough, but the truth taught him that one must always be learning, never settling in a comfort zone with outdated methods.
In the past, he had to tough it out no matter what, even if Mei Heng was running a high fever, the concert went on as planned, with nothing deemed more important than one’s future.
Now, he makes concessions for these young ones, whether necessary or not.
The vicious and despicable tactics used years ago are no longer comparable to today’s standards.
Corona now has two blue and two red endorsements, one global and two Asia-Pacific, already gaining fame in Europe and America.
In “Role Play,” two songs were custom English tracks in collaboration with top brands, crafted to perfection by Xie Lianyun, breaking into the top thirty on the BILLBOARD charts.
Besides these four core endorsements, collaborations with other first and second-tier brands are being reduced, with breach of contract fees hardly discussed, all in consideration of maintaining dignity on both sides.
Huo Ren himself was surprised by Jiang Shu’s decisiveness in this regard.
“It’s not that uncle is greedy for money,” the elder explained vaguely while smoking, “You kids are too ambitious and competitive. Waiting for next year to grab the OSCAR, that thing, Grammy, isn’t it? Definitely going for that, right?”
“It’s called the Grammy.”
“Whatever it’s called,” Jiang Shu took another drag, continuing, “In September and October, finish recording the last group variety show, then tidy up the big brand tasks before New Year, and uncle will give you a holiday regardless of whether you win any awards or not.”
Being in their early twenties is the time to enjoy life. These kids have been working diligently for SPF since they were fifteen or sixteen, only having one holiday in six years. In any other industry, lawsuits would have been filed long ago.
He genuinely liked these six kids for their willingness to endure hardships and strive for excellence, always believing that Corona could go even further.
“Isn’t the Spring Festival the busiest time for promotions?”
“Look here.” Jiang Shu pulled out his phone to show him the calendar for 2017.
“February 14th, turning twenty, we should celebrate your coming of age properly.”
“The New Year falls on February 16th, then February 20th is the OSCAR ceremony, your day to open red packets. Hey, why is the New Year so late this year…”
After pondering for a while, Huo Ren finally spoke, “We can finish the brand shoots in November and December, and wrap up by January.”
“We still owe a few favors to TV stations, after all, you guys will need to mix there in the future, right?” Jiang Shu waved his hand, “For stations like Honglu Times, just take Chi Chi for a full group appearance. For those we’re less close with, sending two or three people is enough. It’s all the same what you sing.”
Nowadays, most boy and girl groups consist of five or six members, but many are involved in acting in dramas and movies, so not performing together has become less unusual.
In comparison, Corona is one of the most cohesive teams in recent years.
Mentioning TV stations reminded them both of the incident at the beginning of the year with Baichuan Station, and they both breathed a sigh of relief.
Had this happened before 2008, with TV stations holding the core exposure, their power and suppressive nature would have been unparalleled, with any minor leader daring to snub top celebrities.
Baichuan Station’s bureaucratic nature was strong, and other provincial stations were not much better. At the beginning of the year, when the female host caused trouble, no one apologized, sticking rigidly to the old ways.
It wasn’t until “Crown Warrant” became a nationwide hit and the suffocating conversation between the mother and son was fully broadcasted by Honglu Station that Baichuan Station’s issues from earlier in the year were completely exposed.
The female host thought she had dodged a bullet at first, laying low for a while, but then continued to flaunt her wealth on Weibo, showing off her luxury homes and designer bags.
She was swiftly taken down.
Her Weibo account didn’t contain any violations, but flaunting wealth while having done wrong actions, the crown fans of the brothers had been holding back, not daring to make a scene. However, once the public dove in, she was forced to pay back double for her actions.
“Was it you who forced him to wear high heels? How much money did you take to afford three mansions and still dare to flaunt it?!”
“Smiling while doing bad deeds doesn’t make them any less bad. Knowing full well it would lead to misunderstandings and attacks against Chi Chi, you still caused trouble beyond the script, pah!!”
“Baichuan Station, come out and apologize! Chi Ji has been victim to cyberbullying for half a year while you play dead. Have some shame, this is fundamentally your fault! Apologize!!”
The female host panicked and closed her Weibo comments. Every post was bombarded with tens of thousands of comments, and her account was reported and taken down within days.
Baichuan Station had to urgently respond, their PR statement insincere and bland, leading to backlash with every update on their official account.
This situation led SPF’s phone lines to be overwhelmed with calls from Baichuan Station’s leaders.
If Corona, especially Chi Ji, were to return and perform, creating a scene of reconciliation with the female host, it would have significantly calmed the public’s anger.
The directors of other companies were swayed by repeated persuasion, but Jiang Shu and Director Su were adamant that this could not be settled easily.
Eventually, the female host had to apologize publicly, recording a tearful video with an alternate account, admitting her deviation from the script due to a bad taste for mischief, clarifying that all actions were her own and not related to Baichuan Station.
Baichuan Station quickly forwarded the video to distance themselves, even scanning and posting the termination letter on Weibo.
As justice was celebrated, Director Su, after reviewing the public opinion analysis, approached Jiang Shu.
“We should tell Chi Ji about this.”
“It’s hard to explain,” Jiang Shu pondered, “Think about it, Director Su. Telling him now means he has to know about the injustices he faced. Dr. Wu and Dr. Zhai have repeatedly warned us, we can’t stir him up with this.”
After some worried thought, Director Su reluctantly agreed.
Come September, while “The Crown Warrant” saw a decrease in exposure, one person unexpectedly rose to fame.
#The World’s Most Handsome CEO Pei Ruye#
#How Successful Can One Be at a Young Age#
Even Pei Ruye, the CEO himself, hadn’t anticipated becoming a social news sensation and one of the hottest internet personalities of the season.
The main reason was the sudden popularity of short videos.
Short video platforms, since their trial run in May, through multiple tests and full public availability, saw user activity and engagement skyrocketing in just a few months.
As traditional print media declined over the years, fewer and fewer people read newspapers or watched television, with many instead flocking to live broadcasts.
Just from Yehuo Live Broadcasting alone, over a dozen top streamers rose to fame from last year to this September, their popularity on par with second-tier celebrities.
With the launch of various live-streaming platforms, Pei Ruye quietly introduced the Moment Short Video app, redefining the extent to which internet entertainment could become popular among the masses.
Live streaming might be entertaining as streamers come up with various gimmicks for fun, but ordinary people can only participate by leaving comments or sending gifts.
However, with the Moment Short Video app’s built-in filters, sound effects, and special effects, anyone who can read can create their own short videos. Overnight fame became possible for anyone, from pet and child videos to showcasing reverse parking skills.
This app proved incredibly addictive.
A video might last only ten or twenty seconds, and after one video ends, another of the same type automatically plays, making it easy for users to spend hours engrossed from morning till sunset.
Venture capital firms took notice, competing to invest in this new unicorn industry. However, Pei Ruye had funding from San Francisco, with Yehuo Live Broadcasting and Moment Short Video complementing each other in marketing, offering a plethora of lucrative opportunities, bolstered by immense confidence.
This led media outlets to realize just how formidable this man was.
In his twenties, Pei Ruye came from the United States to forge his path, initially founding a dance troupe that inadvertently connected him with the entire entertainment industry. He then established companies to expand his influence, becoming a giant in the new media industry.
Everyone knew that the Moment Short Video app was just beginning to take off, but it was clear that the app was destined for long-lasting, widespread success.
Even the housekeepers and elderly family members of venture capital firm executives were using Moment, indicating the app’s unprecedented reach and virality.
Astute fans noticed something amiss.
Could this CEO Pei, who seemed like a character straight out of a novel and coincidentally appeared in the same year as Huo Ren, be the mysterious masked handsome man?
His height, profile, and hairstyle seemed to match!
@AMuse: Holy… CEO Pei is only twenty-seven this year?! To have built a top-tier fortune by twenty-seven is incredibly fierce…
@DoveFanLittleGem: As a career fan, I’m genuinely glad that CEO Pei used to be a senior executive at SPF. With the resources and exposure he currently commands, if he were with a rival company, creating a deity would be all too easy [heart] [heart]
@GuguGugu: Am I the only one drooling over his looks?! This perfect man who fits both Eastern aesthetics and possesses a gentlemanly charm, why isn’t he an idol?! I could swoon over him in a movie without dialogue for two hours ah ah ah—
In September, Pei Ruye attended a press conference in Shidu, with front-row journalists snapping plenty of photos, followed by interviews with three major financial publications, spreading his pictures online.
These interview photos, clearly not needing any retouching or filters, yet captured the frenzy of netizens saving images to set as their screen wallpapers.
At heart, everyone is a sucker for good looks, and today, no one could escape this truth.
“So handsome… This man is too incredible… Both the deep red and white suits highlight his figure so well, wuwuwu!”
“Clearly a brazenly handsome dominant figure!! I really wanted to ship him but couldn’t find anyone compatible with him!! With his level of strength, ordinary models or actors simply can’t match him for a CP, okay—”
“I’m not sure if I should feel sorry or grateful that he didn’t enter the entertainment industry. With such high IQ and stunning looks, entering the industry would mean starting a slaughtering mode…”
During interviews, CEO Pei himself appeared innocently.
“Weren’t we supposed to talk about the company’s management philosophy?”
“That’s correct,” the sweating journalist replied, “but you’ve recently become very popular online, with many young girls hoping you’d start live streaming…”
After a moment’s thought, Pei Ruye smiled lightly, shaking his head in refusal.
“Let’s stick to work. I’m just a businessman, after all.”